In the United States alone, millions of dog bites happen every year. Many of these dog bite victims are sent to the hospital due to their injuries, and a few, tragically, are killed by their injuries. Ohio law holds dog owners and keepers responsible for wounds the animals in their care inflict upon others.

Even though the law allows for dog bite victims to recover compensation for the damages they’ve suffered due to the carelessness of a dog owner, the vast majority of cases go uncompensated. If you’ve been bitten by a dog, don’t suffer your injuries alone. Call a dog bite lawyer with Rinehardt Injury Attorneys for a free consultation and to begin to heal.

If you or your loved one is bitten by a dog, do the following as soon as possible:

• Seek immediate medical treatment. Call an ambulance if you need to.
• Report the attack to the police. They’ll cross-reference the incident with their records. If the dog has a history of aggression, the state may take measures to protect public safety.
• Identify the dog’s owner. This person is the most likely to be liable for your attack. Other people who may be liable are the dog’s harborer, or person who owns the property where the dog stays, or the dog’s keeper, or the person in charge of the dog when the bite occurs.
• Schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer. We’ll listen to your case and get started on helping you collect the compensation you need to heal from your injuries.

Ohio is known as a strict liability state when it comes to dog bites. Some states have a “one bite rule,” which exempts dog owners with no prior reason to know of a dog’s aggression from liability for injuries. Under strict liability, however, a dog owner is liable for the attack even if the dog has never acted aggressively before.

Ohio law does carve out some exceptions to its strict liability rule. If the bite victim was criminally trespassing or attempting to when the bite occurred, for example, the dog’s owner will be exempt from liability. In addition, if the victim was in the process of committing a criminal offense other than a minor misdemeanor, or if the dog was being teased, tormented, or abused when the bite happened, the owner will not be liable.

In order to prove the owner’s liability after you’ve been bitten by a dog, you’ll need to prove a few points:

• You were at the location lawfully, and had a reason to be there
• You were not teasing, tormenting, or abusing the animal
• You did not provoke the dog, even unintentionally

Proving these points can be a complicated legal maneuver. That’s why it’s recommended to hire a knowledgeable dog bite injury lawyer to take on your claim after you’ve been bitten.

How long do you have to file a dog bite claim in the state of Ohio? In these cases, the statute of limitations is six years from the date of the bite. That means you have six years to file a suit against the owner, harborer, or keeper of the dog, or you’ll lose your right to compensation. Children bitten by dogs have six years past their eighteenth birthday to file suit.

If you’ve been bitten by a dog, you’re entitled to compensation for the following:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Disability caused by the injury
• Disfigurement caused by the injury
• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Psychological counseling
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Loss of quality of life
• and others

If you’ve been injured by a dog bite, you need a lawyer who can work for you on contingency to get you the money you need to heal. When you work with a lawyer, you could collect three to five times the amount than you can on your own. Personal injury lawyers are specially trained to help our clients win fair compensation for their injuries from the people responsible.

If you’ve been bitten by a dog, you don’t have to fight for compensation alone. Call Rinehardt Injury Attorneys today for a free consultation.

One of the biggest reasons it’s in your best interest to hire a dedicated personal injury lawyer to help with your dog bite is that fewer than 1% of dog bite victims are compensated. Even though dogs bite around 4.7 million Americans every year, fewer than 20,000 are compensated by insurance, even though they’re covered under most home insurance plans.

In most cases, a dog bite is a form of property liability injury, where the victim is injured on another’s property. In these cases, the property owner’s insurance should cover the damages, including injury recovery and other damages. Your lawyer will know what laws and insurance policies apply in your case, and they’ll help you navigate the complex legal landscape.

Depending on the laws of your state and the particulars of your situation, you may be able to hold the dog owner liable for your bite. Ohio is a strict liability state regarding dog bites, meaning that the victim does not have to prove the owner, harborer, or keeper of the dog was negligent to seek damages. You’ll only need to prove that you were bitten and that the bite caused injury or damage.

While who a dog’s owner is is probably self-explanatory, some explanation about the other two parties above is warranted. A dog’s harborer is the person who controls the property where the dog lives. For example, if the dog’s owner lives with their aunt, that aunt would be the harborer of the dog. A dog’s keeper is the person with control over the dog at a given time. If a dog is being walked by someone when you’re bitten, that person could be held liable as the dog’s keeper at that time.

Ohio law carves out a few exceptions to its dog bit law. If any of the following occurred in the lead-up to the dog bite, its owner, harborer, or keeper will not be held liable for damages:

• The victim was criminally trespassing or attempting to trespass
• The victim was committing a criminal offense other than a minor misdemeanor
• The dog was being teased, abused, or tormented

If you’ve been bitten by a dog, you must show that you were not trespassing at the time, and that you weren’t teasing or tormenting the dog when they bit you. If the court determines that the dog was provoked, even if you were acting innocently, its owner will not be liable for your damages. However, you can still seek damages if the owner has a “Beware of Dog” sign—in Ohio, the assumption of risk is not a defense against a dog bite.

After you’ve been bitten by a dog, seek medical attention immediately. Dogs can carry diseases and other harms in their mouths, and pass them to bite victims. A doctor will check you for infection and provide information on tissue damage, as well as provide an expert medical opinion on your injuries. This opinion can serve as evidence in your case.

Call a lawyer as soon as you can following a dog bite. Dog bite injury cases can be difficult to determine, and only a lawyer can evaluate your claim properly. Rinehardt Injury Attorneys have helped hundreds of clients over our experience, and we know your rights under Ohio law. We’ll help you recover for your losses, including

• Hospital bills and medical treatment
• Lost wages from missing work
• Disfigurement
• Lost earning capacity
• and others

Experienced Ohio Dog Bite Injury Attorney

If you’ve been bitten by a dog in Ohio, you are likely facing medical bills, a painful injury, and possibly disfigurement. You shouldn’t have to pay for these damages yourself. Hiring an experienced dog bite injury lawyer can help you recover compensation for your injuries from the neglectful owner or other responsible party.

Rinehardt Injury Attorneys have been helping the people of Columbus, Mansfield, and the surrounding areas recover damages for their injuries for decades. We have the experience and the ability to maximize your compensation after an injury. Give us a call today for a free consultation about your claim today.